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Posted on 06/19/2005 4:16:59 PM PDT by La Enchiladita
Transcript: Condoleezza Rice on 'FOX News Sunday'
WALLACE: Secretary Rice, welcome back to "FOX News Sunday."
New polls show growing doubts among Americans about the U.S. involvement in Iraq, and I'd like to take a look at the numbers with you if I can.
In the latest Gallup poll, 56 percent of those surveyed say they no longer think it was worth going to war in Iraq. And 59 percent say the U.S. should now withdraw some or all of our troops.
And then this week, a small group of Republican and Democratic congressmen called for troop withdrawal starting next year.
Can the Bush administration fairly be criticized for failing to level with the American people about how long and difficult this commitment will be?
SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE: The most important point about Iraq is that it was time to deal with Saddam Hussein and to create conditions in this very important region, this very volatile region, that would help bring about a different kind of Middle East so that the United States can be secure.
The Middle East came home to us on September 11 in ways that we never expected. And without change in this region, we're going to continue to fight terrorists for a very, very long time.
Now, we have a different kind of Iraq. It is still a young Iraq, a young, democratic Iraq.
But if you look at the progress that they have made on the political front -- the turnover of sovereignty, the creation of a transitional administrative law, elections in January of this year, a constitutional committee now to write a constitution, and they will have elections in December -- they've made very rapid progress.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
WALLACE: The Democrats' number-two man in the Senate, Dick Durbin, created quite a stir this week when he compared U.S. treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo to Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia and the killing fields of Cambodia.
Does it make it harder for you to do your job as you travel through the Mideast and push U.S. policy on human rights and democracy when a top American official says we're part of the problem?
RICE: Well, we're going to continue to talk about what the United States is doing positively for the people of this region. I'm here, the Iraqi people are voting, the Lebanese people at least are free of Syrian military forces.
And, in fact, we are a country that believes in international law, that believes in living up to our international obligations, including at Guantanamo, where the president made very clear that that was what would govern our efforts and our behavior at Guantanamo
I looked and I don't see any defense of our troops. None. Let me know if you find anything.
If this is Condi's complete response, or even close to it, it's pyss-poor and pathetic.
She can be very good in interviews. It is outrageous that she punted this question.
Is this administration going to keep apologizing, explaining, re-explaining, and re-re-explaining about this subject until Bush's last day in office? Just tell them that the terrorist trash is getting better treatment than they would give their own people, and leave it at that. Quit all of this walking on eggshells.
I don't have to read the transcript to find the defense of our troops. I watched the interview.
When asked about her response to Durbin, she emphasized that she's a Soviet specialist and she knows about the Gulags. She was visibly too disgusted to elaborate until Wallace pressed her on it. She said the American people know what happened at the Gulags and in Nazi Germany and what Pol Pot did. She made it very clear that what Durbin said was disgusting.
She waltzed around a lot of other stuff, too; she's way too good at it. I had a high regard for her intelligence and passion, but in many ways she's a hand puppet.
I agree; you could see the anger in her eyes as she responded to CHris's question. She is clearly incensed at what he said and it must have taken a lot of will power to make only the statement she made.
I watched the interview AND read the transcript. She may have implied disgust at Durbin's traitorous comments, but she did not defend our troops or Guantanomo.
This is just one reason I probably wouldn't vote for a ticket she's on.
Making clear that neither she nor the American people believe the Durbin lie IS defending our troops and Gitmo.
Someone whose mind has to be read is not communicating.
She also stated that "international law" would govern "our efforts and our behavior at Guantanamo." Do you agree with that?
IMO, that's no way to defend our country or our fine military.
Not happy with that response and doncha know the dems wise that tomorrow to get the MSM off of Durbin...
EVEN THOUGH, the dems DO believe in international law, they will exploit Sec. Rice's verbiage as an excuse...
At first read, I figured she misspoke and meant to say that America honors treaties, and would go on to say that even though these detainees are not covered under the Geneve Convention, they are being very well taken care of by our troops...
NOPE--afraid I was wrong...sigh....WHY,WHY,WHY???
Her mind did not have to be read. Anyone who watched that interview and came away thinking she didn't defend the US against Durbin is deaf, dumb and blind, and perhaps just a tad biased.
Not enough. Not nearly enough. Especially when she places Gitmo under "international law." That implies we're not doing it right.
Well, a lot of people ARE deaf, dumb and blind. That's why political leaders need to be as clear and loud as possible.
I'd like to know EXACTLY what Condi said.
It's in post 1 and it's in the linked transcript.
I read her responses to the Durbin question and the Durbin followup. They are very weak, almost useless politically.
They may have kept her out of trouble, but that is not her only responsibility.
And a lot of people are looking for something, anything, to criticize. Thos people will never be satisfied, no matter what is said or done, and it certainly doesn't help the situation.
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